Thermal processes in vacuum

Abstract

The dominant heat transfer mode in vacuum is thermal radiation which is emphasized in the present chapter. Besides its relevance in space exploration, several industrial processes and commercial products use vacuum directly or its production require a technological process under vacuum. Firstly, the fundamentals of thermal radiation are briefly discussed to highlight the governing parameters of the process. Then the available thermal control methods are introduced with supporting examples. Finally, the thermal design and analysis of the SMOG-1 PocketQube class satellite is detailed, performed by the authors of this book.